Chic Kept Its French Pronunciation
Chic means stylish in an effortless way. English took the word whole and never anglicised the sound.
Chic means stylish and elegant, especially in a way that looks effortless. English borrowed the word from French in the 1850s and kept the French pronunciation, *sheek*, rather than reshaping it to rhyme with *thick*. That preservation marks a word as borrowed recently and consciously, usually for fashion or food. It works as adjective and noun: something can be chic, or a person can have chic.
- Stylish. *A chic outfit.*
- Style itself. *Effortless chic.*
- Radical chic — fashionable radicalism. *Radical chic.*
- Shabby chic — deliberately worn style. *Shabby chic.*
- French — *chic*. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Adjective | chic | Chic. |
| Noun | chic | Chic. |
| Comparative | chicer | Chicer. |
| Compound | shabby chic | Shabby chic. |
| French | chic | Style. |
- The restaurant was quietly chic.Style.
- She has effortless chic.Noun.
- It is pronounced sheek.Pronunciation.
French words that kept their sound
- Chic — sheek, not chick
- Genre — the French nasal and soft G survive
- Ballet — the T stays silent
- Buffet — silent T in the food sense
- Rendezvous — the Z is silent and the sound stays French
French *chic*, of uncertain origin, possibly from German *Schick*, skill or aptitude. Borrowed into English in the 1850s.
How is chic pronounced?
Sheek, keeping the French sound. It does not rhyme with thick.
Is chic a noun or an adjective?
Both. Something can be chic, and a person can be said to have chic.